*N Sync. The Thin Yellow Line of Cowardice.
Title: The thin yellow line of cowardice.
Fandom: *N Sync
Characters: Chris Kirkpatrick / Joey Fatone
Prompt: 013. Yellow
Word Count: 4,069
Rating: PG
Summary: Justin figures things out, and the guys are ready to face down their nemesis.
Author's Notes: Well, one last fic before 2008 ends. I'd like to dedicate it to
ravenbat, because this whole universe was for her, to otherdeb, who as always does a fast and well done beta, to milosflaca who year after year is the best friend in the world, and to everyone in my flist for a great 2009.
“Fuck. It’s Lance.”
Justin stared dumbfounded at the screen of his tv, looking at the very clear of Lance Bass commanding electricity to half-fry a thief. His head had stopped hurting the second he said Lance’s name out loud, and now he just couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it earlier. Or that he had forgotten Lance completely.
Because now he remembered all the times he and Lance had spent together in the *N Sync tour bus, all the talks they had, how Lance had tried to cheer him up when Britney cheated on him, how Lance was the one he always went to when he needed some serious advice.
How the hell had he managed to forget Lance?
Justin pressed play again, and the camera shifted to Superguy’s startled face. Superguy was wearing a mask, but there was something familiar in his eyes.
Not wanting to lose the moment, Justin dug again into his old tapes, all the ones he had recorded when Superguy was just one superhero, not the leader of a team. It took him a while because he had too many recordings, clips and even bootleg dvds, but he finally found the second appearance of Superguy on tape. The first one was too grainy, as it only showed him hovering over the hotel where *N Sync had been staying back then, but the second, showing the hero stopping a robbery, was clearer.
Clear enough to show a grease stain on the gray hoodie that Superguy used back then.
“Joey,” Justin whispered. It was as if a floodgate of memories had been opened in his mind, because now he remembered that he had already known that Joey was Superguy. He had never confirmed it, but he had been almost a hundred percent sure. But then something had happened and he had just… forgot.
Forgot his suspicions, his reasons to suspect… And worse of all, he forgot Joey, Lance, Chris and…
And JC.
That was something more that nagged Justin’s brain. He couldn’t remember any conversation with JC, not the important ones, not the stupid ones. There was a bright, white spot in his brain where JC should be. Even trying to think about JC’s voice made him remember those warm, bright sparks, almost like Flame’s lights.
Justin stood up so quickly, he didn’t notice the remote control dropping to the floor. It was common knowledge that Flame could brainwash people, make them confess. It had even been showcased in a Law and Order episode where the suspect swore his confession had been coerced by the superhero – played by guest star Chace Crawford - because in the real world it had caused a couple of problems with confirming guilt, so District Attorney’s office in every state required the hero to stop using that particular power.
And, although there wasn’t a single piece of footage where Flame could’ve identified, Justin had another source for research: *N Sync’s old rehearsal tapes.
* * *
“I don’t like this,” Chris said, flipping his long, currently red hair. “Why should we confront him directly?”
“Well, it is traditional,” Joey shrugged, floating a few inches over the roof of the hotel where they were standing. “Now that we know who he is, we have to make sure he knows what we know and what we’ll do to him if he harms Justin or Britney.”
“He hasn’t tried to hurt Justin for a long time now,” Chris insisted. Under the moonlight, his “Diamond Girl” disguise shone, pretty much like the disco ball during the incident or JC’s sparks.
“But he could try it again,” JC adjusted his gloves, creating a shower of colorful sparks. “We can’t take that risk.”
“And it would be hard to prove, given that he’s married to Britney now,” Lance finished before Chris could build up a new argument. “We all know stalkers tend to escalate. Do you really want to risk that Federline will be happy now that he has her and that he won’t try to hurt her later?”
“Fine, fine.” Chris sighed, as his voice took the feminine tones he needed to complete his disguise. “I just hope the other ‘Boss’ hasn’t told Federline about your real identities.”
“Oh, I think we can safely bet that he didn’t. “Lance grinned widely, and the lights of the buildings around them grew brighter. “Come on, the man loves to brag about everything. If Kevin Federline knew who we are, everyone in California would know by now. It would be a song on his album.”
“Enough chatter,” Joey interrupted them. “He’s alone in his studio, and there’s no sign of Britney in the house.”
“Score one for the paparazzi,” Lance sounded impressed. “She’s out with Paris Hilton, according to their text messages.”
“Very well then,” JC’s smile was accompanied by a bright red spark that burned a nice hole at his feet. “What are we waiting for? It’s show time.”
* * *
Watching the rehearsal tapes of the Pop Odyssey concert had been painful for Justin. Now, he remembered everything that wasn’t on the tapes, the afternoons in their hotel rooms, the jokes, the pranks on their bodyguards, the fights. Everything. But most of all, how it all had ended suddenly, a couple of months after Joey broke his leg.
A couple of weeks before Superguy appeared in public for the first time.
He didn’t have a recording of the accident, but there were a lot of others after it where Justin could see more than enough proof of his suspicions.
There was one where Lance was walking next to the bulls, and they all turned on for no apparent reason. As if Lance had supercharged them by accident. Joey looked taller in a couple of shots, most probably because he wasn’t quite touching the ground, only it wasn’t really noticeable unless you were paying attention.
And of course, there were always bursts of light around JC. As if the camera kept catching all the lightbulbs and reflections around him. But that wasn’t the weirdest part. Justin watched tape after tape when JC would say something to his assistant, and she or he would get a dazed look on their eyes before nodding and doing whatever JC told them to do. There was one moment where even Drew got the dazed-zombie like look.
Just like the perps that Flame caught.
It was so obvious that Justin couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. If Joey was Superguy and Lance was Lighting… then JC was Flame.
Justin had figured it out before, or had been close to figuring it out and JC had erased his memory. Brainwashed him into forgetting *N sync. Brainwashed him into starting a solo career, that Justin had never wanted.
And if JC had done that to him, what had he done to the others? Maybe that was why Chris, Lance and Joey didn’t call him anymore. Maybe they didn’t remember either. Justin shuddered. Maybe JC was controlling Lance and Joey so they wouldn’t tell their friends they had powers. There was the chance that they agreed with JC and thus had asked him to brainwash Justin, but he still couldn’t believe his friends would do that.
He needed to talk with someone. And as the tapes kept going, Justin realized there was only one person he could ask for help.
The other *N Sync member who didn’t had any powers, and who had probably been dazzled into forgetfulness by JC.
He had to call Chris.
* * *
Kevin Federline had never considered himself a coward. He was a self-made man, always looking out for Number One, and he had enough connections to make things happen his way. When he had decided that he wanted Britney Spears for himself, he hadn’t tried agents or even impressing her himself, he had gone straight to the Boss, a man who offered –in very underground circles - a perfect solution for all your troubles.
Kevin hadn’t flinched once in all his meetings with One, the Boss’s assistant, who could create hurricanes with her thoughts. He had managed to keep a straight face as Britney swore that she was cursed, that all those whom she loved would die horribly.
But when the Freaky Four appeared in his window, he had to admit he was terrified, because the Boss had guaranteed that no one would ever track to him the accidents that kept happening around Britney. It was the one reason why Kevin had decided to hire the Boss’s services: no one would ever know, no one would even suspect.
Except, apparently, for the Freaky Four. The only super-beings in the whole planet who weren’t on the Boss’s payroll.
“We know what you’re doing,” Superguy had said, once Kevin opened the window, fearing that they would break it and then, how was he going to explain things to Britney? “So you have a choice to make.”
“You can either stop right now, or we will make sure everyone knows you tried to kill Justin Timberlake and Jason Alexander.” Diamond Girl’s voice was as hard as the diamonds that composed her body. “And if Miss Spears gets as much as a hangnail, we’ll know it was you.”
“You can’t prove anything!” Federline had yelled then, trying to show a courage he didn’t feel. “I can get you all arrested for harassment!”
“We have proof.” Unlike his teammates, Lightning wasn’t obviously showing his powers. But the lights around Kevin started to flicker and he remembered that of the four, Lightning was the most dangerous. “And witnesses. Do you really want to take the risk?”
“If you had either, I would be in jail by now!” Kevin spat.
“We don’t want you in jail yet,” Flame sneered. A red/orange spark exploded near Kevin’s cheek, making him jump back. “We want the Boss. But if we can’t get him, you’re a good replacement.”
“The… The boss?” Kevin started sweating. Theoretically, he could tell them about the phone number. Theoretically, he could tell them he had found out about the Boss when he had been working as a messenger for a drug dealer. But even though he was terrified at the moment, he knew the Freaky Four couldn’t do anything worse to him than what the Boss could. After all, the Freaky Four were heroes. They probably stopped short of murder.
“I don’t know who the boss is…” Kevin said when he managed to control his voice again, only to be silenced by a yellow spark exploding very near his mouth. One could almost think that he had done something personal to Flame, the way he kept sending firecrackers near his face. “I swear, he contacted me first!”
“Yeah, right,” Superguy muttered under his breath, his eyes shining red. “You’re lucky we don’t want information right *now*.”
“Superguy, don’t.” Diamond Girl didn’t turn to see Superguy, but her words seemed to work as the red light died in his eyes. “You’re warned Federline. We’re going to be watching your every move. And if you step over the line, we’ll be there.”
“You can’t threaten me!” Kevin tried one more time, when the lights around Flame started to grow brighter, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the Freaky Four were gone.
* * *
It was around eleven when Joey finally landed on Chris’s rooftop, holding Chris – still in his female disguise - by the waist. No matter how much Chris had insisted that he could turn into a pigeon and go back to his house while Joey dropped Lance and JC at theirs, Joey insisted that they couldn’t risk someone seeing Chris shape-shift, not so soon after they had set a trap for the Boss.
The plan was simple: One, Two and Three had mentioned that the Boss was mad at the four because they were a dent in the otherwise good business of managing super villains and henchmen. Why there was a market for such things, they didn’t know and at the moment didn’t care. What they knew was that Federline had spent quite a lot of money in securing the Boss’s services and so, if they pushed him enough, he would break all contact with the Boss.
Which in turn would make the Boss angry and he would surely send more goons against them. Sooner or later, they would get one who knew more than ‘the boss hired us’.
“I still think it’s a risky plan,” Chris said, changing into his own body as they entered the house. His shapeshifting had evolved so much that he now could also change his clothing as he went, so he was now wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a Steeler’s shirt instead of the scuba diving suit he had, at Joey’s insistence, worn as Diamond Girl. “What if Federline really tries something against Britney?”
“Lance and I are on it, don’t worry,” Joey assured him, sitting on the couch. Even if Joey had his own house to live in, he pretty much lived with Chris now. Part of it was so they would be ready if the Freaky Four were needed, but most of it was that since regaining his powers, Joey didn’t like to spend much time alone.
When Chris opened his mouth to remind Joey that he and Lance hadn’t been ready for the Boss’s henchwomen the first time his phone rang.
“Kirkpatrick here,” Chris answered casually, raising his hand at Joey to signal that he had to be quiet and at the same time remind him that their conversation was far from over.
“Chris? It’s me, Justin!” Justin sounded quite frantic from the other side of the line. “Where were you? I’ve been trying to get you all night!”
“Justin?” Chris asked, puzzled. On the couch, Joey frowned. Justin never called them unless some reporter mentioned *N Sync to him, not since JC’s impromptu lobotomy, and they were usually very short calls.
“You don’t remember me? Shit, this is worse than I thought,” Justin seemed to be muttering to himself, confusing Chris even more. “Ok, don’t hang up. I was in a group with you, five years ago…”
“Justin, I know who you are,” Chris assured his friends, sharing a puzzled look with Joey who, judging by his expression, was listening to every word. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, thank god, JC hasn’t got to you!” Justin’s relieved outburst told Chris all he needed to know. “Chris, we need to talk. I know you probably think I hate you all guys, but the truth is JC brainwashed me into forgetting you. I know, it sounds crazy but…”
“Justin, why would JC do that?” Chris asked, cautiously.
“Because he didn’t want me to figure out that he’s Flame,” Justin said quickly, and Chris was left speechless. Sure, he was the one who had always insisted they had to tell Justin about their superpowers, but he had never planned for a day when Justin would find out on his own.
* * *
“You wanted to see me, boss?” Agent 13 stepped inside the boss’s office, her high heels clacking against the stone floor. Of all the agents at his disposal, 13 was one of the most valued, and the only one who knew his real name. It was an exercise of trust, he needed to make her see that he trusted her, because her power made her the most dangerous of them all.
“There’s a small matter that will need your special talents, my dear,” the boss leaned forward, resting his elbows against his desk. “It seems Mr. Federline won’t be needing our services anymore.”
“That was to be expected, after his wedding, wasn’t it?” 13 cocked her head to the right, as if studying the boss. It was a little unnerving. “He got the expected result, didn’t he?”
“This time, but we all know Federline won’t be satisfied just with Miss Spears, now will he?” the boss didn’t elaborate. Many of his long time customers were also partner collectors. They changed wives and husbands like trading cards. “Unfortunately, it seems that he has lost some nerve. He just called me to say as much. Apparently, the four that we haven’t been able to contain dropped into him.”
“With enough pressure, he might let something slip,” 13 agreed. Their clients didn’t have much information about the operation, but a little knowledge was as dangerous as too much knowledge, or so the boss had once read. While Federline swore he hadn’t given the number of the operation to the Freaky Four, it was better to make sure he would never have the chance.
“Take Agent 43 with you, he needs the field experience,” the boss checked his files. While the young man had only manifested the so far useless power of creating ice cubes – as in, just ice cubes, and just three at a time, so he was only useful at company parties when the refrigerator broke – he was cunning, and with time he might be a good team leader. With people like 13 training and advising him. “Make sure Mr. Federline doesn’t remember anything about our little business.”
“Will do, boss. Will do.”
* * *
“Justin knows.”
After Chris had managed to calm Justin down, promising that he would go to see him, and he wouldn’t talk to JC until after he and Justin had talked, Joey flew out to get Lance and JC for an impromptu group meeting. Chris dropped the bomb as soon as they were settled, and the result was that both JC and Lance were so startled that Chris ended up without a TV and with a nasty burn mark on his new carpet.
“For future meetings, Chris, you might want to give them some warning.” Joey’s shirt had also been burnt by Lance’s lighting, so he figured he had a reason to complain.
“What do you mean, Justin knows?” JC was the first one to recover, sitting down as a thousand blue sparks started spiraling from his hair to the ceiling. “Did you tell him?”
“Sure, I called him and told him I moonlight as a superheroine!” Chris crossed his arms, frowning. Joey noticed that the stress was getting to him, as he was gaining height. Every time Chris got angry, he grew taller. “I have no idea how he figured it out, but he did. Now we have to tell him.”
“We don’t have to tell him anything!” JC started shaking his head, making sparks fall like a rain of glitter. “I can make him forget everything again.”
Joey, Lance and Chris glared at JC, who seemed to realize how what he had just said sounded.
“Sorry,” JC said, looking away. “I meant, I can make him forget our powers. I have much better control now, I won’t make him forget *N Sync again.”
“We are not brainwashing Justin again,” Chris folded his arms. “Ever. I don’t care if you don’t want him to hear the truth from our side, but then we’ll find some other way to convince him he’s wrong. You don’t get to dazzle him into forgetting again.”
“Chris, it would be the only way to get him to drop the subject,” Lance sighed, wearily rubbing his eyes. “You know how he gets about Superguy and the whole thing.”
“It doesn’t matter, Justin won’t agree to see JC long enough it to work,” Joey interrupted, feeling awkward as they all turned to see him. “I heard him making Chris promise that he wouldn’t even call C until they have a plan. He’s terrified of forgetting again.”
“Can you blame him?” Chris all but growled. It was no secret that Chris still was mad at JC for the stunt that had ended *N Sync as a group. “I say we tell him. Even after all you did to him, he’s still our friend, he can and will keep our secret.”
“Sure, and what if he gets caught by the boss?” JC turned away, not looking at Chris. “It’s better if he doesn’t know.”
“We know that the boss won’t stop at kidnapping,” Lance nodded. “And he knows who we are, except for you Chris. If he thought Justin knew who Diamond Girl was, he wouldn’t think twice about torturing him for the information. I agree with JC. We shouldn’t tell Justin anything.”
“I agree with Chris,” Joey finally decided to voice his thoughts. “If he doesn’t know he should be careful the Boss might kidnap him, no matter what. When it was just Federline trying to kill him, telling Justin wouldn’t have done any good. But now? When we’re trying to save everyone and not just him? He has to know.”
It was a draw, and Joey knew none of them would change their minds.
* * *
Chris had promised that he wouldn’t reveal to Justin anything about his powers, or even confirm Justin’s suspicions until they dealt with the Boss, but he never said that he wouldn’t meet with his friend if Justin asked him to. Because JC and superpowers be damned, if there was a way to fix what JC had broken when he panicked all those years ago, Chris was going to find it.
“J, explain me again why are we having a secret meeting at a Starbucks?” Chris asked, watching a couple of girls whispering at the counter. No one had yet approached Justin for an autograph, but Chris was sure it would only be a matter of time. Not too far away from them, he could see Lonnie, who still worked as Justin’s bodyguard. One day, he would tell JC and the others that Lonnie knew about their powers, but as paranoid as JC was at the moment, Chris knew it was not the time.
“It’s a public place,” Justin explained, sipping his Vanilla Frappuccino. “JC wouldn’t dare try to brainwash us here. And even if he does, I bet there’s now at least a hundred paparazzi photos of us together that we can use to remind ourselves of this meeting.”
“What do you mean?” Chris frowned. They still hadn’t figured out how the press always managed to remember JC, no matter how strong his brainwashing powers were.
“I’m still not sure how it works,” Justin explained, slowly and lowering his voice. “But it’s like a trigger. I didn’t remember anything until I saw some old footage of Lance using his powers…”
“Lance doesn’t have powers, J,” Chris interrupted quickly, hoping he didn’t sound patronizing. Convincing Justin that they weren’t the Freaky Four was going to take some work, but he was willing to try before JC or Lance could convince Joey to change his vote.
“Riiight,” Justin rolled his eyes. “I have the DVD at home and I can show it to you later. The point is, it was watching him that made me remember. Which is why we’re having this meeting in a public place. Besides, it’s good that we’re seen together. That way, we can start working on bringing the group back from its ‘hiatus’.”
“You want the group back?” Chris smiled despite himself. Maybe fixing the problem wouldn’t be so hard as he had originally thought.
“I never wanted to go solo, Chris,” Justin shook his head, looking at his hands, at his frapuccino, at everything but Chris. “I mean, I like it now yes, and for years I thought it was what I wanted, but I would’ve never done it if I hadn’t suddenly forgotten that you guys were my friends. And I have no idea why JC would do that to me, but hey, maybe I did something else that I can’t remember that pissed him off. I don’t know. But we can make it work, right?”
“Sure we can,” Chris nodded, feeling hopeful. “We just have to figure out how to avoid getting amnesia, right?”
Before Justin could answer, or Chris could acknowledge whoever was calling him, the far wall of the Starbucks exploded, letting two women and three men enter. They were carrying two dufflebags that looked full of something, but no guns. Behind them, Chris could see the remains of what had been the jewelry shop next door.
“Shit,” he muttered, as the tallest woman’s hands started to glow.
“Everyone stay put!” The woman said, as everyone ducked down their tables. “If you do what we tell you, no one will get hurt.”
To be continued…
Fandom: *N Sync
Characters: Chris Kirkpatrick / Joey Fatone
Prompt: 013. Yellow
Word Count: 4,069
Rating: PG
Summary: Justin figures things out, and the guys are ready to face down their nemesis.
Author's Notes: Well, one last fic before 2008 ends. I'd like to dedicate it to
ravenbat, because this whole universe was for her, to otherdeb, who as always does a fast and well done beta, to milosflaca who year after year is the best friend in the world, and to everyone in my flist for a great 2009.“Fuck. It’s Lance.”
Justin stared dumbfounded at the screen of his tv, looking at the very clear of Lance Bass commanding electricity to half-fry a thief. His head had stopped hurting the second he said Lance’s name out loud, and now he just couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it earlier. Or that he had forgotten Lance completely.
Because now he remembered all the times he and Lance had spent together in the *N Sync tour bus, all the talks they had, how Lance had tried to cheer him up when Britney cheated on him, how Lance was the one he always went to when he needed some serious advice.
How the hell had he managed to forget Lance?
Justin pressed play again, and the camera shifted to Superguy’s startled face. Superguy was wearing a mask, but there was something familiar in his eyes.
Not wanting to lose the moment, Justin dug again into his old tapes, all the ones he had recorded when Superguy was just one superhero, not the leader of a team. It took him a while because he had too many recordings, clips and even bootleg dvds, but he finally found the second appearance of Superguy on tape. The first one was too grainy, as it only showed him hovering over the hotel where *N Sync had been staying back then, but the second, showing the hero stopping a robbery, was clearer.
Clear enough to show a grease stain on the gray hoodie that Superguy used back then.
“Joey,” Justin whispered. It was as if a floodgate of memories had been opened in his mind, because now he remembered that he had already known that Joey was Superguy. He had never confirmed it, but he had been almost a hundred percent sure. But then something had happened and he had just… forgot.
Forgot his suspicions, his reasons to suspect… And worse of all, he forgot Joey, Lance, Chris and…
And JC.
That was something more that nagged Justin’s brain. He couldn’t remember any conversation with JC, not the important ones, not the stupid ones. There was a bright, white spot in his brain where JC should be. Even trying to think about JC’s voice made him remember those warm, bright sparks, almost like Flame’s lights.
Justin stood up so quickly, he didn’t notice the remote control dropping to the floor. It was common knowledge that Flame could brainwash people, make them confess. It had even been showcased in a Law and Order episode where the suspect swore his confession had been coerced by the superhero – played by guest star Chace Crawford - because in the real world it had caused a couple of problems with confirming guilt, so District Attorney’s office in every state required the hero to stop using that particular power.
And, although there wasn’t a single piece of footage where Flame could’ve identified, Justin had another source for research: *N Sync’s old rehearsal tapes.
* * *
“I don’t like this,” Chris said, flipping his long, currently red hair. “Why should we confront him directly?”
“Well, it is traditional,” Joey shrugged, floating a few inches over the roof of the hotel where they were standing. “Now that we know who he is, we have to make sure he knows what we know and what we’ll do to him if he harms Justin or Britney.”
“He hasn’t tried to hurt Justin for a long time now,” Chris insisted. Under the moonlight, his “Diamond Girl” disguise shone, pretty much like the disco ball during the incident or JC’s sparks.
“But he could try it again,” JC adjusted his gloves, creating a shower of colorful sparks. “We can’t take that risk.”
“And it would be hard to prove, given that he’s married to Britney now,” Lance finished before Chris could build up a new argument. “We all know stalkers tend to escalate. Do you really want to risk that Federline will be happy now that he has her and that he won’t try to hurt her later?”
“Fine, fine.” Chris sighed, as his voice took the feminine tones he needed to complete his disguise. “I just hope the other ‘Boss’ hasn’t told Federline about your real identities.”
“Oh, I think we can safely bet that he didn’t. “Lance grinned widely, and the lights of the buildings around them grew brighter. “Come on, the man loves to brag about everything. If Kevin Federline knew who we are, everyone in California would know by now. It would be a song on his album.”
“Enough chatter,” Joey interrupted them. “He’s alone in his studio, and there’s no sign of Britney in the house.”
“Score one for the paparazzi,” Lance sounded impressed. “She’s out with Paris Hilton, according to their text messages.”
“Very well then,” JC’s smile was accompanied by a bright red spark that burned a nice hole at his feet. “What are we waiting for? It’s show time.”
* * *
Watching the rehearsal tapes of the Pop Odyssey concert had been painful for Justin. Now, he remembered everything that wasn’t on the tapes, the afternoons in their hotel rooms, the jokes, the pranks on their bodyguards, the fights. Everything. But most of all, how it all had ended suddenly, a couple of months after Joey broke his leg.
A couple of weeks before Superguy appeared in public for the first time.
He didn’t have a recording of the accident, but there were a lot of others after it where Justin could see more than enough proof of his suspicions.
There was one where Lance was walking next to the bulls, and they all turned on for no apparent reason. As if Lance had supercharged them by accident. Joey looked taller in a couple of shots, most probably because he wasn’t quite touching the ground, only it wasn’t really noticeable unless you were paying attention.
And of course, there were always bursts of light around JC. As if the camera kept catching all the lightbulbs and reflections around him. But that wasn’t the weirdest part. Justin watched tape after tape when JC would say something to his assistant, and she or he would get a dazed look on their eyes before nodding and doing whatever JC told them to do. There was one moment where even Drew got the dazed-zombie like look.
Just like the perps that Flame caught.
It was so obvious that Justin couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. If Joey was Superguy and Lance was Lighting… then JC was Flame.
Justin had figured it out before, or had been close to figuring it out and JC had erased his memory. Brainwashed him into forgetting *N sync. Brainwashed him into starting a solo career, that Justin had never wanted.
And if JC had done that to him, what had he done to the others? Maybe that was why Chris, Lance and Joey didn’t call him anymore. Maybe they didn’t remember either. Justin shuddered. Maybe JC was controlling Lance and Joey so they wouldn’t tell their friends they had powers. There was the chance that they agreed with JC and thus had asked him to brainwash Justin, but he still couldn’t believe his friends would do that.
He needed to talk with someone. And as the tapes kept going, Justin realized there was only one person he could ask for help.
The other *N Sync member who didn’t had any powers, and who had probably been dazzled into forgetfulness by JC.
He had to call Chris.
* * *
Kevin Federline had never considered himself a coward. He was a self-made man, always looking out for Number One, and he had enough connections to make things happen his way. When he had decided that he wanted Britney Spears for himself, he hadn’t tried agents or even impressing her himself, he had gone straight to the Boss, a man who offered –in very underground circles - a perfect solution for all your troubles.
Kevin hadn’t flinched once in all his meetings with One, the Boss’s assistant, who could create hurricanes with her thoughts. He had managed to keep a straight face as Britney swore that she was cursed, that all those whom she loved would die horribly.
But when the Freaky Four appeared in his window, he had to admit he was terrified, because the Boss had guaranteed that no one would ever track to him the accidents that kept happening around Britney. It was the one reason why Kevin had decided to hire the Boss’s services: no one would ever know, no one would even suspect.
Except, apparently, for the Freaky Four. The only super-beings in the whole planet who weren’t on the Boss’s payroll.
“We know what you’re doing,” Superguy had said, once Kevin opened the window, fearing that they would break it and then, how was he going to explain things to Britney? “So you have a choice to make.”
“You can either stop right now, or we will make sure everyone knows you tried to kill Justin Timberlake and Jason Alexander.” Diamond Girl’s voice was as hard as the diamonds that composed her body. “And if Miss Spears gets as much as a hangnail, we’ll know it was you.”
“You can’t prove anything!” Federline had yelled then, trying to show a courage he didn’t feel. “I can get you all arrested for harassment!”
“We have proof.” Unlike his teammates, Lightning wasn’t obviously showing his powers. But the lights around Kevin started to flicker and he remembered that of the four, Lightning was the most dangerous. “And witnesses. Do you really want to take the risk?”
“If you had either, I would be in jail by now!” Kevin spat.
“We don’t want you in jail yet,” Flame sneered. A red/orange spark exploded near Kevin’s cheek, making him jump back. “We want the Boss. But if we can’t get him, you’re a good replacement.”
“The… The boss?” Kevin started sweating. Theoretically, he could tell them about the phone number. Theoretically, he could tell them he had found out about the Boss when he had been working as a messenger for a drug dealer. But even though he was terrified at the moment, he knew the Freaky Four couldn’t do anything worse to him than what the Boss could. After all, the Freaky Four were heroes. They probably stopped short of murder.
“I don’t know who the boss is…” Kevin said when he managed to control his voice again, only to be silenced by a yellow spark exploding very near his mouth. One could almost think that he had done something personal to Flame, the way he kept sending firecrackers near his face. “I swear, he contacted me first!”
“Yeah, right,” Superguy muttered under his breath, his eyes shining red. “You’re lucky we don’t want information right *now*.”
“Superguy, don’t.” Diamond Girl didn’t turn to see Superguy, but her words seemed to work as the red light died in his eyes. “You’re warned Federline. We’re going to be watching your every move. And if you step over the line, we’ll be there.”
“You can’t threaten me!” Kevin tried one more time, when the lights around Flame started to grow brighter, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the Freaky Four were gone.
* * *
It was around eleven when Joey finally landed on Chris’s rooftop, holding Chris – still in his female disguise - by the waist. No matter how much Chris had insisted that he could turn into a pigeon and go back to his house while Joey dropped Lance and JC at theirs, Joey insisted that they couldn’t risk someone seeing Chris shape-shift, not so soon after they had set a trap for the Boss.
The plan was simple: One, Two and Three had mentioned that the Boss was mad at the four because they were a dent in the otherwise good business of managing super villains and henchmen. Why there was a market for such things, they didn’t know and at the moment didn’t care. What they knew was that Federline had spent quite a lot of money in securing the Boss’s services and so, if they pushed him enough, he would break all contact with the Boss.
Which in turn would make the Boss angry and he would surely send more goons against them. Sooner or later, they would get one who knew more than ‘the boss hired us’.
“I still think it’s a risky plan,” Chris said, changing into his own body as they entered the house. His shapeshifting had evolved so much that he now could also change his clothing as he went, so he was now wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a Steeler’s shirt instead of the scuba diving suit he had, at Joey’s insistence, worn as Diamond Girl. “What if Federline really tries something against Britney?”
“Lance and I are on it, don’t worry,” Joey assured him, sitting on the couch. Even if Joey had his own house to live in, he pretty much lived with Chris now. Part of it was so they would be ready if the Freaky Four were needed, but most of it was that since regaining his powers, Joey didn’t like to spend much time alone.
When Chris opened his mouth to remind Joey that he and Lance hadn’t been ready for the Boss’s henchwomen the first time his phone rang.
“Kirkpatrick here,” Chris answered casually, raising his hand at Joey to signal that he had to be quiet and at the same time remind him that their conversation was far from over.
“Chris? It’s me, Justin!” Justin sounded quite frantic from the other side of the line. “Where were you? I’ve been trying to get you all night!”
“Justin?” Chris asked, puzzled. On the couch, Joey frowned. Justin never called them unless some reporter mentioned *N Sync to him, not since JC’s impromptu lobotomy, and they were usually very short calls.
“You don’t remember me? Shit, this is worse than I thought,” Justin seemed to be muttering to himself, confusing Chris even more. “Ok, don’t hang up. I was in a group with you, five years ago…”
“Justin, I know who you are,” Chris assured his friends, sharing a puzzled look with Joey who, judging by his expression, was listening to every word. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, thank god, JC hasn’t got to you!” Justin’s relieved outburst told Chris all he needed to know. “Chris, we need to talk. I know you probably think I hate you all guys, but the truth is JC brainwashed me into forgetting you. I know, it sounds crazy but…”
“Justin, why would JC do that?” Chris asked, cautiously.
“Because he didn’t want me to figure out that he’s Flame,” Justin said quickly, and Chris was left speechless. Sure, he was the one who had always insisted they had to tell Justin about their superpowers, but he had never planned for a day when Justin would find out on his own.
* * *
“You wanted to see me, boss?” Agent 13 stepped inside the boss’s office, her high heels clacking against the stone floor. Of all the agents at his disposal, 13 was one of the most valued, and the only one who knew his real name. It was an exercise of trust, he needed to make her see that he trusted her, because her power made her the most dangerous of them all.
“There’s a small matter that will need your special talents, my dear,” the boss leaned forward, resting his elbows against his desk. “It seems Mr. Federline won’t be needing our services anymore.”
“That was to be expected, after his wedding, wasn’t it?” 13 cocked her head to the right, as if studying the boss. It was a little unnerving. “He got the expected result, didn’t he?”
“This time, but we all know Federline won’t be satisfied just with Miss Spears, now will he?” the boss didn’t elaborate. Many of his long time customers were also partner collectors. They changed wives and husbands like trading cards. “Unfortunately, it seems that he has lost some nerve. He just called me to say as much. Apparently, the four that we haven’t been able to contain dropped into him.”
“With enough pressure, he might let something slip,” 13 agreed. Their clients didn’t have much information about the operation, but a little knowledge was as dangerous as too much knowledge, or so the boss had once read. While Federline swore he hadn’t given the number of the operation to the Freaky Four, it was better to make sure he would never have the chance.
“Take Agent 43 with you, he needs the field experience,” the boss checked his files. While the young man had only manifested the so far useless power of creating ice cubes – as in, just ice cubes, and just three at a time, so he was only useful at company parties when the refrigerator broke – he was cunning, and with time he might be a good team leader. With people like 13 training and advising him. “Make sure Mr. Federline doesn’t remember anything about our little business.”
“Will do, boss. Will do.”
* * *
“Justin knows.”
After Chris had managed to calm Justin down, promising that he would go to see him, and he wouldn’t talk to JC until after he and Justin had talked, Joey flew out to get Lance and JC for an impromptu group meeting. Chris dropped the bomb as soon as they were settled, and the result was that both JC and Lance were so startled that Chris ended up without a TV and with a nasty burn mark on his new carpet.
“For future meetings, Chris, you might want to give them some warning.” Joey’s shirt had also been burnt by Lance’s lighting, so he figured he had a reason to complain.
“What do you mean, Justin knows?” JC was the first one to recover, sitting down as a thousand blue sparks started spiraling from his hair to the ceiling. “Did you tell him?”
“Sure, I called him and told him I moonlight as a superheroine!” Chris crossed his arms, frowning. Joey noticed that the stress was getting to him, as he was gaining height. Every time Chris got angry, he grew taller. “I have no idea how he figured it out, but he did. Now we have to tell him.”
“We don’t have to tell him anything!” JC started shaking his head, making sparks fall like a rain of glitter. “I can make him forget everything again.”
Joey, Lance and Chris glared at JC, who seemed to realize how what he had just said sounded.
“Sorry,” JC said, looking away. “I meant, I can make him forget our powers. I have much better control now, I won’t make him forget *N Sync again.”
“We are not brainwashing Justin again,” Chris folded his arms. “Ever. I don’t care if you don’t want him to hear the truth from our side, but then we’ll find some other way to convince him he’s wrong. You don’t get to dazzle him into forgetting again.”
“Chris, it would be the only way to get him to drop the subject,” Lance sighed, wearily rubbing his eyes. “You know how he gets about Superguy and the whole thing.”
“It doesn’t matter, Justin won’t agree to see JC long enough it to work,” Joey interrupted, feeling awkward as they all turned to see him. “I heard him making Chris promise that he wouldn’t even call C until they have a plan. He’s terrified of forgetting again.”
“Can you blame him?” Chris all but growled. It was no secret that Chris still was mad at JC for the stunt that had ended *N Sync as a group. “I say we tell him. Even after all you did to him, he’s still our friend, he can and will keep our secret.”
“Sure, and what if he gets caught by the boss?” JC turned away, not looking at Chris. “It’s better if he doesn’t know.”
“We know that the boss won’t stop at kidnapping,” Lance nodded. “And he knows who we are, except for you Chris. If he thought Justin knew who Diamond Girl was, he wouldn’t think twice about torturing him for the information. I agree with JC. We shouldn’t tell Justin anything.”
“I agree with Chris,” Joey finally decided to voice his thoughts. “If he doesn’t know he should be careful the Boss might kidnap him, no matter what. When it was just Federline trying to kill him, telling Justin wouldn’t have done any good. But now? When we’re trying to save everyone and not just him? He has to know.”
It was a draw, and Joey knew none of them would change their minds.
* * *
Chris had promised that he wouldn’t reveal to Justin anything about his powers, or even confirm Justin’s suspicions until they dealt with the Boss, but he never said that he wouldn’t meet with his friend if Justin asked him to. Because JC and superpowers be damned, if there was a way to fix what JC had broken when he panicked all those years ago, Chris was going to find it.
“J, explain me again why are we having a secret meeting at a Starbucks?” Chris asked, watching a couple of girls whispering at the counter. No one had yet approached Justin for an autograph, but Chris was sure it would only be a matter of time. Not too far away from them, he could see Lonnie, who still worked as Justin’s bodyguard. One day, he would tell JC and the others that Lonnie knew about their powers, but as paranoid as JC was at the moment, Chris knew it was not the time.
“It’s a public place,” Justin explained, sipping his Vanilla Frappuccino. “JC wouldn’t dare try to brainwash us here. And even if he does, I bet there’s now at least a hundred paparazzi photos of us together that we can use to remind ourselves of this meeting.”
“What do you mean?” Chris frowned. They still hadn’t figured out how the press always managed to remember JC, no matter how strong his brainwashing powers were.
“I’m still not sure how it works,” Justin explained, slowly and lowering his voice. “But it’s like a trigger. I didn’t remember anything until I saw some old footage of Lance using his powers…”
“Lance doesn’t have powers, J,” Chris interrupted quickly, hoping he didn’t sound patronizing. Convincing Justin that they weren’t the Freaky Four was going to take some work, but he was willing to try before JC or Lance could convince Joey to change his vote.
“Riiight,” Justin rolled his eyes. “I have the DVD at home and I can show it to you later. The point is, it was watching him that made me remember. Which is why we’re having this meeting in a public place. Besides, it’s good that we’re seen together. That way, we can start working on bringing the group back from its ‘hiatus’.”
“You want the group back?” Chris smiled despite himself. Maybe fixing the problem wouldn’t be so hard as he had originally thought.
“I never wanted to go solo, Chris,” Justin shook his head, looking at his hands, at his frapuccino, at everything but Chris. “I mean, I like it now yes, and for years I thought it was what I wanted, but I would’ve never done it if I hadn’t suddenly forgotten that you guys were my friends. And I have no idea why JC would do that to me, but hey, maybe I did something else that I can’t remember that pissed him off. I don’t know. But we can make it work, right?”
“Sure we can,” Chris nodded, feeling hopeful. “We just have to figure out how to avoid getting amnesia, right?”
Before Justin could answer, or Chris could acknowledge whoever was calling him, the far wall of the Starbucks exploded, letting two women and three men enter. They were carrying two dufflebags that looked full of something, but no guns. Behind them, Chris could see the remains of what had been the jewelry shop next door.
“Shit,” he muttered, as the tallest woman’s hands started to glow.
“Everyone stay put!” The woman said, as everyone ducked down their tables. “If you do what we tell you, no one will get hurt.”
To be continued…